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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29751216">the theory and the proof</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyarnmaidstale/pseuds/theyarnmaidstale'>theyarnmaidstale</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Bobby's losing his mind, oblivious firefam, probably a little canon divergent</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:40:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,373</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29751216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/theyarnmaidstale/pseuds/theyarnmaidstale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Bobby Nash has a theory. A hypothesis, if you will, and he's going to prove it, scientific method at all.</p><p>No, really. He's mapped out all the steps on a corkboard he's hidden in his office. This is serious, and he's going to do this right.</p><p>Or, the five times Bobby tries to convince others Buck and Eddie are dating and the one time he's proven right.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>681</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>the theory and the proof</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, apparently I'm writing fanfic again after years of being out of practice. Anyway, this is my first fic after a very long time of not writing fanfic, and my first 9-1-1 fanfic, so bear with me, lol. </p><p>Anyway, this started after a little discussion on the Buddie discord and is just a for funsies thing I jotted down over the past couple of days. All mistakes are my own. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Captain Bobby Nash has a theory. A hypothesis, if you will, and he's going to prove it, scientific method and all.</p><p> </p><p>No, really. He's mapped out all the steps on a whiteboard he's hidden in his office. This is serious, and he's going to do this <em> right </em>, goddamnit. </p><p><br/>
<strong>1. Athena </strong>
</p><p>He brings it up to Athena once when they're in bed and Bobby can't sleep. It’s well past midnight--the last time he checked the clock, the digital numbers blinked back a menacing 1:37 a.m.-- and he’s been tracing imaginary patterns in the ceiling for hours as time slowly ticked by.</p><p>Athena's beside him, sleeping soundly.</p><p>Or at least he thought she was. </p><p>"Captain Nash, I can hear you thinking."</p><p>"I think Buck and Eddie are dating." He says to the ceiling.</p><p>He doesn't have to see his wife's face to know that her eyebrow is arched and she has that tired, exasperated look on her face she gets whenever one of the team does something stupid.</p><p>"I need you to help me prove it." He continues. </p><p>She turns now to face him, props herself up on her elbow and just gives him a <em> look </em> . Well. <em> The </em> look. Because she thinks this is stupid.</p><p>And maybe it kinda is, but it's been bugging him for months now.</p><p>"What? You're the cop. Help me investigate." He shrugs. "Please."</p><p>"I don't think that's a good use of police resources." Athena says, pauses a moment before sighing. "What evidence do you have, anyway?"</p><p>Bobby thinks about it, because he doesn't have much. A hunch. A theory. Something he's pieced together on observation alone. It's not like he's ever caught them doing something inappropriate and obviously Not-Friendlike (he doesn't <em> want </em> to, but he'll take it if it proves his point).</p><p>But he can't very well <em> tell </em> Athena that.</p><p>But he also can't lie to his wife. Athena has a built-in radar for firefighter lies and something tells him that her being half-asleep hasn't dulled her senses.</p><p>"I don't. I just <em> know </em>."</p><p>"Okay, Hercule Poirot."</p><p>"It's the way they look at each other, Athena."</p><p>"Because <em> that's </em>enough for a warrant."</p><p>"Hey, I know you’re making fun of me, but I’m serious.” Bobby mutters as he turns on his side to face Athena</p><p>Athena’s face softens as she rests her hand on his chest. He takes it in his, runs his thumb along the back of her hand. “I know what it’s like to want to keep something like that a secret.”</p><p>“You used to make out with me in secret against the fire engine,” he reminds her as he slips an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.</p><p>Athena hums. “You looked damn fine in that uniform, Captain Nash.”</p><p>“You should’ve seen yourself, Sergeant.”</p><p>There’s a few moments of silence before he speaks again.</p><p>“I just don’t want them to feel like they have to keep it from us, you know? Buck’s like,” he trails off, knowing that he wants to say that Buck’s like a son to him. Because he is. And he wants his family to be happy. That’s all. And he thinks that Buck’s found that happiness, that belonging that he’d been chasing ever since he came to L.A.</p><p>“All you can do is hope they know they don’t have to. That they’ll tell people when they’re ready, if they are dating,” Athena offers and he finds himself nodding. “I’ll cut you a deal.”<br/>
<br/>
“Athena Grant cutting me a deal?” He raises an eyebrow with a smile.<br/>
<br/>
“Consider it a one-time offer,” she says. “You can look into this theory you have all you want to, but I’m layin’ down some ground rules so far as this house, and this bed, is concerned.”</p><p>“Name them.”<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t get weird about it.”</p><p>“Yes. ma’am.”</p><p> </p><p>Two days later, he's looking at a corkboard laden with Post-It notes and index cards connected by strings wrapped around push pins when Harry and May return home.</p><p>Harry tosses his book bag to the ground before dropping onto the couch. "You still trying to prove Buck and Eddie are dating?"</p><p>Bobby nods. “I think I’m getting close.”</p><p>"Mom says you're being weird about it."</p><p>"I'm not being weird, I'm being thorough."</p><p>Harry makes a thoughtful noise as both he and May come to stand beside Bobby. They scrutinize Bobby's work, tilt their heads to the side.</p><p>May takes an Post-It note from the stack and scrawls something on it before sticking it below an index card labeled “Evidence”. She steps back to admire its place on the board.</p><p>“They did the ‘Call your partner by their first name instead of a nickname’ challenge on Tik Tok,” May explains. “Buck was <em> very </em> confused when Eddie started calling him Evan.”</p><p>Bobby has questions. Several. About everything she just said, because what the hell was Tik Tok?</p><p>May anticipates it before he does. Softly shakes her head. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Just thought you should know.”</p><p>“Thanks.”</p><p>"Do you take constructive criticism?" Harry asks as he leans in closer to the board and Bobby nods in response. "If you're trying to prove a theory, you might wanna try the scientific method. We're learning about it in class."</p><p>And so Bobby does. He moves the corkboard to his office a couple days later (after Athena comes home late and catches him staring at it, shakes her head, says "absolutely not" and turns on her heel toward their bedroom), reorganizes it so he has a flowchart on one side and his thought map on the other, and gets back to work.</p><p>He adds things to it between shifts, on days where he can slink into his office undisturbed and sit at his desk, fingers steepled in front of his face, and <em> stare </em> at the board as if it’s going to start answering his questions.</p><p>It never does.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>2. Chimney</strong>
</p><p>“Hey, Cap,” Chimney begins as he walks into Bobby’s office (without knocking, mind you) before he has a chance to slip the corkboard from view. “Whoa, what’s this?”</p><p>Bobby looks between Chimney and the corkboard and back again. Begs the universe to rewind time, manifest a black hole to swallow him and all the mortification he can sense is on the horizon, or just put him out of his misery in general.</p><p>He wonders if there’s a lie he can tell. Anything that makes sense and accounts for why he has a corkboard mapping out the relationship between his coworkers, but he’s coming up short.</p><p>And Chimney’s already walking toward it, a shit-eating grin on his face.</p><p>“Would you believe me if I told you it was a moodboard?”</p><p>“Now, this,” Chimney claps his hands together and gestures toward the board. “This is something else.” Then he’s looking at him, nods like he’s giving Bobby permission to go on and explain. “Well?”</p><p>“I have a theory that Buck and Diaz are dating,” he says quietly, more under his breath than anything Chimney can hear.</p><p>“I’m sorry?”</p><p>“I,” he starts again, a little louder this time. Clears his throat. “I have a theory that Buck and Eddie are dating.”</p><p>Chimney’s face lights up because Bobby knows that he <em> thrives </em> on this sort of chaos. Bobby watches him as he crosses the space in Bobby’s office and drags the chair in front of his desk around to face the whiteboard before plopping himself down into it.</p><p>“All ears, Cap.”</p><p>Suffice it to say, Chimney doesn’t believe him.</p><p>“I’ll give you props, because this, this is very thorough,” Chimney says. “Have you talked to Maddie?”</p><p>“Absolutely not, and she’s not to hear a word of this,” Bobby orders, pointing at the board. “I know how weird this looks, Chim. But I need you to keep this a secret.”</p><p>Chimney’s eyes widen in horror. “Oh. A secret. Yeah, yeah, Cap. Absolutely. A secret.”</p><p>“Good,” Bobby turns to look at the board. “Last thing I need is Buck or Eddie gettin’ word of this. Oh, and Chim?” He turns back, but Chimney’s already gone.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>3. Michael </strong>
</p><p>A week after the fiasco with Chimney, he asks Michael about it. Because they're friends who co-parent children and Michael absolutely will take him seriously (he even promises he will when Bobby implores him to).</p><p>He also is certain that if Athena won't help him launch an investigation, Michael will. </p><p>Because they're <em> friends </em>.</p><p>But Michael is pulling a face.</p><p>"You think this is stupid." Bobby huffs with a sigh, shaking his head and sinking into Michael’s couch. </p><p>"What!? No." Michael shakes his head. "No, no, no, of course not."</p><p>And that's, like, three too many placating "nos" for someone who's taking him seriously.</p><p>Michael sits beside him on the couch and nods for him to go on. Before he knows it, he’s telling Michael everything (he leaves out the parts where May and Harry have helped him work some stuff out) from the day Eddie first joined the 118 to yesterday, when Eddie slipped up and called Buck “babe” on the job (he furiously cleared his throat and repeated ‘Buck, I said Buck’, but Bobby’s fairly certain he heard what he heard.)</p><p>By the end of it, he’s clutching a throw pillow and shaking his head. “They’ve just been so sad for so long, Michael.”</p><p>“So maybe you think you’re creating a love story for them?” Michael asks with a genuine sincerity that makes Bobby a little gladder that he went to him about it.</p><p>Bobby thinks about it, considers that it might be a possibility, but shakes his head. “I think that they’re growing together. They seem to be in a good spot, you know? Happy. One of them walks into a room and you’d think they’d hung the moon by the way the other looks at him.”</p><p>“That is the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”</p><p>Bobby shrugs. “So, I’m a romantic, but they’re really happy together, Michael.”</p><p>“If they’re together,” Michael clarifies, but Bobby considers it skepticism in the right direction. Cautiously optimistic, if you will.</p><p> </p><p>But Michael does agree to go on a stakeout with him next weekend, though Bobby's not entirely convinced it's not because Michael's more invested in the drama...and the pancakes.</p><p>So, they sit across from each other at a diner near the firehouse on a Saturday morning, faces hidden behind menus.</p><p>He's peering over his menu as Buck and Eddie pull up (same car, ha), watches carefully as Eddie pulls the door open for Buck, and kicks Michael under the table as Eddie places a hand at the small of Buck’s back and guides him toward a booth across the dining room.</p><p>"Did you see that?" He whispers.</p><p>"See what?"</p><p>"How did you miss it?" Bobby directs Michael's attention to his coworkers, points out how they're smiling and laughing at a joke Buck cracked, leaning in to hear each other over the din of the nearby tables. </p><p>“It’s loud in here. I can hardly hear you,” Michael whispers.</p><p>But Bobby can see the joy in their faces, a radiant happiness that he’s surprised everyone else has been able to ignore. Because they’re the happiest they’ve been in months. He can tell when they’re fine, when they’re fighting, much in the same way he figures Hen picked up on him and Athena.</p><p>He’s convinced he’s either losing his own goddamn mind, or that everyone else is just playing a cruel trick on him and sooner or later they’re all going to pop out from behind a wall and shout “Surprise! You were right the entire time, we just wanted to mess with you!”</p><p>“How’d you even know they’d be here?” Michael asks. “Because this is getting creepy.”</p><p>“Because three Sundays ago, Buck asked if I’ve ever tried this place. Told me he and Eddie come here every Saturday after their shift ends,” he explains. “I had to switch shifts to do this.”</p><p>Michael looks like he’s about to respond when he glances over at Buck and Eddie’s table. “Incoming,” he hisses, tapping Bobby on the shoulder to get his attention.</p><p>Bobby looks. Sure enough, Buck’s gotten up from his booth and is quickly approaching his own table.</p><p>“Cap, missed you on shift last night,” Buck says once he gets to Bobby’s table. “Hey, Michael. How’s it going?”</p><p>“Going well,” Michael takes a sip of his coffee. “Yourself?”</p><p>“Ah,” Buck looks over his shoulder at Eddie. “Eddie and I just got off shift. Love this place’s breakfast. Not that I’m not glad to see you, but didn’t expect to see you here.”</p><p>“Heard so many good things about it from you, thought we’d check it out ourselves,” Bobby replies. “Isn’t that right, Michael?”</p><p>“Mmhmm,” Michael replies, though it’s mostly into his coffee cup.</p><p>“So you took a day off to get pancakes with Michael?” Buck doesn’t look like he’s buying it and looks like he’s about to ask another question when Michael saves the day.</p><p>“Yeah, Bobby and I try to meet up ‘round once a month or so,” Michael shrugs. “Catch up, you know?”</p><p>“That’s awesome,” Buck nods. “So, uh, you guys should totally join us. We can catch you up on all the things you missed last night.”<br/>
<br/>
Bobby puts up a hand, like he’s about to say “thanks, but no thanks”, because he totally is. Doesn’t want to interrupt whatever date he and Eddie are clearly on, and doesn’t want to give up his perfectly located stakeout spot. But before he gets the chance, a smile broadens on Michael’s face.</p><p>“I think that’s a great idea, Buck.”</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>4. Hen</b>
</p><p>"No, seriously, I think they're dating and they just don't want any of us to <em> know </em>."</p><p>Hen just laughs like it's the best joke she's heard in <em> years </em> and walks away.</p><p>He thinks he hears, “Oh, Karen’s gonna find this <em> hilarious </em>” as Hen enters the locker room, but he can’t be sure.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>5. Maddie (and Chimney)</b>
</p><p>He should’ve known something was up the moment Chimney invited him over for dinner. Because Chimney never invites him over for dinner.</p><p>But, here he is on a Thursday, seated at the dining room table in Chimney’s apartment while Maddie pulls a dish out of the oven.</p><p>“Smells lovely, Maddie,” he compliments.</p><p>“Thanks,” Maddie sets the platter down on the table and takes her seat. Before he even has a chance to serve himself, she asks, “So, Chimney tells me you have a theory?”</p><p>Bobby turns his attention to Chimney. “Really, Chim?”</p><p>“What?” Chimney asks with a faux innocence that really isn’t fooling anybody paying attention (which, Bobby points out, is accurate given that he’s the only one evidently paying attention to anything around here).</p><p>He heaves a sigh, drags his hands over his face.</p><p>"There's evidence," Bobby says, a little disappointed that it comes out with less conviction and more like he's also trying to convince himself.</p><p>Chimney smirks and leans back in his chair. "Yeah, Cap, Maddie’s never heard all your evidence.” He hangs air quotes around the word ‘evidence’ as he loads his plate.</p><p>Bobby starts, as most stories do, with the beginning. And he knows how ridiculous it sounds when he says it all aloud. That there's more than one way to read any interaction. That you could just as easily argue that Buck and Eddie are just really good friends that stay at each other’s places every now and then, but he can see something there. Something that fills him with joy because he can finally see two men he regards as family find comfort and joy in each other’s company.</p><p>As they eat, he talks about how one seems to always follow where the other goes. How intertwined their lives are, how he's seen, with his own eyes, how they hug each other.</p><p>Bobby tells them about how they often show up to work at the same time, in the same car, and then leave together. </p><p>"Carpooling's better for the environment," Chimney cuts in.</p><p>“<em> That’s </em> what you got out of that?”</p><p>Chimney shrugs and Maddie urges him to continue.</p><p>He talks about how Eddie and Buck know each other’s meals at whatever restaurant or fast food joint they swing by out on calls.</p><p>By the end of it, he’s insisting that they “just <em>smile</em> <em>differently </em>around each other,” and he knows how he sounds.</p><p>If Maddie hears him out because she's polite, Chimney hears him out just so he can make fun of Bobby about it again.</p><p>And neither are very subtle about their skepticism.</p><p>"Buck is about as subtle as a dump truck driving through a nitroglycerin plant," Chimney surmises. Rolls his eyes when both he and Maddie give him a blank look. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? No?"</p><p>"Exactly." Bobby says with finality. "They're not <em> being </em> subtle."</p><p>"And Buck and Eddie are just two grown men saying 'fuck toxic masculinity' and being comfortable being affectionate in a platonic relationship," Maddie reasons.</p><p>"They're practically co-parenting Christopher!"</p><p>"It takes a village," Chimney shrugs and Bobby has to will himself not to scream in frustration. </p><p>(He does end up screaming in frustration when he's safely back inside his truck, but that's nobody's business but his own).</p><p>Maddie sighs, looks carefully between him and Chimney. "Look, Bobby, I think maybe you're taking this a little...personally."</p><p>Bobby laughs, but it lacks amusement, and buries his head in his hands. Rubs at his temples. Tries to tell himself that he’s not losing his mind.</p><p>She continues. "Hey, I'm not saying there's nothing there. I'm just saying we can't push them into figuring out things before they're ready. And that there could be a perfectly platonic explanation for everything."</p><p>"There's nothing to push because they're already dating!" Bobby insists as he leans forward, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.</p><p>Chimney finishes loading the dishwasher. “You know Buck always told us when he had a partner. I think if he was dating someone, we’d know.”</p><p>"Yeah, and if neither Buck or Eddie are being subtle, don't you think more people but you would see it?"</p><p>Bobby kinda wants to point out the station had a bet going on regarding him and Athena, that Chimney, for all his precision on the job, can be pretty oblivious sometimes.</p><p>He also wants to point out that Chimney and Maddie were dating before either of them realized it, but figures it isn’t the time.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <strong>+ 1. Buck and Eddie</strong>
</p><p><br/>
In the end, Maddie’s the one that <em> exposes </em>him before he's finished putting together his final report (see: scientific method, this is serious).</p><p>She's half a glass of red deep when she tosses her head back in laughter. </p><p>"Do you guys remember when Bobby went around telling us you two were dating?" Her cheeks are rosy, smile bright as she gestures between her brother and Eddie with her wine glass.</p><p>Buck chokes on water and Bobby tracks the way Eddie's hand flies to his back, though he's a little too mortified to write it down in the little book of observations he definitely doesn't have.</p><p>Eddie clears his throat, looks at Bobby and Bobby opens his mouth to spout off an apology when–</p><p>"How'd you figure it out?"</p><p>And Bobby feels <em> vindicated </em>.</p><p>Maybe a little sad that he'll have to cancel that Team/Family Meeting where he intended to hand out laminated copies of his report.</p><p>He had a PowerPoint presentation and everything. </p><p>But mostly vindicated. </p><p>"Pardon?" Chimney asks, forkful of food halfway to his mouth.</p><p>"We've been dating for a few months. Were gonna tell you guys, like, next week," Buck answers and the smirk that crossed Buck's face makes it all worth it. "Cap's the only one who figured it out apparently."</p><p>“I still want to know how you did that,” Eddie wonders. “We’ve been keeping it pretty subtle. Thought we were doin’ pretty good.”</p><p>Now, Bobby just wants to laugh. Wants to roll out a list of all the ways the two pining idiots were way too obvious for their own good, but catches Athena’s gaze over their shoulders, catches how Chimney, Maddie, and Hen all shoot each other glances like they don’t know if they should let Buck and Eddie in on it.</p><p>“Uh,” Bobby just shrugs. “I just...had a feeling, I guess.”</p><p><br/>
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